The eCortina's electric Astroflight 3220 motor (Photo: Roy Prince)

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Article Summary

Electric bicycles, with some exceptions, generally fall into one of two categories: those that can be powered solely by their motor, and those in which the motor is only used to augment the rider’s pedaling power (commonly known as “pedelecs,” or pedal-electrics). In both cases, they can also simply be pedaled, without any contribution from the motor. California electric vehicle designer Roy Prince, however, decided that he wanted all three – a bike that could be motor-driven, pedal-assisted, or just plain pedaled. The result is his intriguing creation, the eCortina v2 hybrid.